


Reasons to Hate Jumin Han

by spearofjustice (orphan_account)



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - You've Got Mail Fusion, I love these dorks, M/M, characters will be added as i go along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-08-12 11:09:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7932382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/spearofjustice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A You've Got Mail AU ZenJu fic, because damn I love these two.  Zen is the owner of Zen Paws, a local pet shop opened by his mother. Business goes smoothly until the giant pet retail chain C&R Pets opens a store two doors down. Will Zen and his friends be able to keep their store open? And why does the enemy have to be so damn sexy?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Good, the Bad, and the Sexy

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys! this is my first mystic messenger fic. i'm still playing zen's route and haven't started on jumin's but i've seen enough spoilers to know pretty much what's going on. since this is an AU fic, there won't be any spoilers. these two dorks will be the death of me i stg

Zen is having a bad day. Mostly, due to the fact that the empty building two doors down that’s had the “FOR LEASE” sign on it for months now says, “C&R PETS - COMING SOON”. Why, of all possible places in this city, does a giant corporate pet shop have to move this close to his own?

It’s ironic, someone with cat allergies owning a pet shop, but it was his mother’s and although he doesn’t like cats at all, Zen is very much a dog person. And a bird person, and a lizard person, and a guinea pig person. All-pets-but-cats person. Cats, Zen swears, are demons sent for hell to scratch and torture whoever dares go near.

This wasn’t his original plan. Zen loved acting as a child and was part of the Drama club. He was always cast in a major role throughout middle school and high school. In senior year, his mother collapsed a week before the musical, and Zen had to leave the club. His mother passed not long after, leaving an 18-year-old near-child with an entire pet store to run. At first, he only did it because it was his mother’s pride and joy, and he loved his mother. The shop grew on him, and Zen Paws (he still doesn’t know if his nickname is from the shop or vice versa) is his entire life now.

“Hey, Zen!” Yoosung greets cheerfully.

“You’re early.” Zen notes. Yoosung is notorious for showing up to work late.

“Yeah!.” The blond says.

“Did you see the C&R pets sign?” Zen asks.

“Yup, but I don’t think we should worry. People like to support local businesses, right?”

“That’s a good point. Besides, who can’t resist the store’s sexy owner?” Zen jokes, then sneezes. “Christ, I’ve been running this place for five years and I’m still not over this damn allergy.”

The duo begin to set up for the day. Zen goes through the cages as Yoosung checks to stock for pet supplies. Their coworker Luciel (who is called Seven so often it’s on his nametag) shows up. Seven makes up for everything Zen lacks in his interest of cats.

Zen flips the sign from CLOSED to OPEN and they wait for their first customers of the day to come in. Like every Friday, this one’s a busy one.

A couple hours later, when Zen is about to leave for his lunch break, an absolutely stunning man enters the store. God, he is glad he didn’t leave earlier. The man is about his height, maybe taller with inky hair that covered his right eye. He wears a crisp white shirt that outlines his (very sexy) muscles with a black tie and black dress pants. An equally professional-looking woman follows (girlfriend?), with short brown hair and glasses resting atop her nose, in a grey pencil skirt. With them is another man who was impossible to describe with anything other than _cool_. He has a light blue fringe, and piercing, similar coloured eyes. A DSLR camera is hanging from his neck. He’s dressed much more casually than the other two, but he has the same air of professionalism as them.

“How may I help you lovely customers today?” Zen asks, winking at the black-haired man. The girl misinterprets the wink as for her and begins to blush a deep red.

“We’re just going to look around.” Hot Stuff says.

“Alright, well, ask me if you need anything!” Zen walks back to the counter, and makes sure Hot Stuff gets a good look at his ass (even straight guys admit he’s got a nice one).

“Mr. Han, I don’t really want fur on my clothing, do you mind if I stay outside?” The girl asks Hot Stuff.

Alright, she calls him ‘Mr. Han’, so she isn’t his girlfriend. Maybe the cameraman is his boyfriend? Zen strains to hear their conversation, but it’s muffled by the cages and shelves.

The trio reappear around the fish tanks, and Zen is glad to see that the girl and the cameraman are talking.

“So, what brings such a well-dressed man like you to my pet store?”

“Oh, I just like animals.”

“Hmm. I see. I’m Zen.” Zen holds out his hand like a businessman. Hot Stuff shakes it, and Zen feels his long fingers and cool palm and he wishes he was holding on just a second longer.

“Jumin Han.” He introduces himself.

“So, what kind of animals do you like?” Zen asks, trying to make conversation.

“Cats.” Jumin says.

“Oh. I’m allergic to those.”

“Why do you own a pet shop, then?”

“How did you know I owned it?” Zen narrows his eyes.

“Your shop is called Zen Paws.”

“Actually, this was my mother’s shop. My name is from the shop. Or the shop’s named after me. I don’t know.”

“Ah. You look too young to be owning a shop. How old are you?”

“Twenty-three. My mother passed away when I was eighteen. You don’t look that much older than I am, though.”

“I am twenty-six.” Jumin says. _That’s in the dating range,_ Zen thinks.

“Hey, you’re pretty fuckin’ hot, I’m probably hotter than you, why don’t we go out sometime?” Zen asks, putting his hand on the shelf behind Jumin.

“I’m not interested in dating at the moment. There’s already someone else I like very much.”

“Oh, is it Cool Guy over there?”

“No, that’s a childhood friend. Who is also taken, if you were wondering.”

“So, I can’t even have your number or anything?”

“No. Jaehee, V, let’s go.” He beckons the other two.

“I wonder how he would respond if I told him you haven’t dated anyone since high school?” Seven laughs once they are out of the store.

“You know why.”

“So you’re suddenly dropping Mr. Mystery Online Lover for that guy?”

“He was hot, okay? And it’s not like I’m ever met my online friend, what if he turns out to have an entirely different personality? Or worse - he turns out to be ugly! I only date people who are nearly as hot as I am.”

“Zen, you’re such a narcissist!” Yoosung comments without taking his eyes off of his video game. He’s perched on the stool behind the cashier till.

“I just can’t help being so attractive, man.” Zen says.

The day passes quickly, and someone buys a Yorkie puppy, which is a great. They’ve been going at a steady rate of one dog or cat approximately every two weeks, and combined with all the supplies they sell, it makes quite a bit of money for three people and rent. Who would even think of shopping at C &R Pets when Zen Paws has such attractive employees? Zen thinks about hiring Jumin. He would probably bring up sales a ton. Flirting with customers definitely encourages them to buy more. 

The first thing Zen does when he gets home is check on AnimalLoversForum. 

_[16:40:23] e390: Just got back home. How are you doing?_

_[19:34:21] prettyboii: kinda bad day, but i have rocket and jet!! so its all good. hows elizabeth 3rd?_

As if they heard their names being typed, Rocket and Jet go over to Zen. Jet, the 2-year-old German Shepherd, curls up under his feet, while Rocket, the 4-year-old Siberian Husky, kneels next to the desk. 

“Hey, boys.” He greets. Rocket barks in reply. 

_[19:36:13] e390: Fine, but she seems to be gaining some weight._

_[19:37:45] prettyboii: have u eaten yet?_

_[19:40:33] e390: I’m about to. And you?_

_[19:42:02] prettyboii: same here, just got home from work_

_[19:44:57] e390: Make sure to have a balanced meal._

_[19:45:46] prettyboii: dammit ur so cute worrying about my health. i will <3_


	2. An Unexpected Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, school's started and I've been pretty busy (pre-calc is a pain in the butt, seriously), so I haven't been able to write much. However, I've completed chapter 2! finally! It's a bit short, but I'm not a very wordy person. I hope you like it~

“I must say that the owner of that shop is quite attractive.” Jaehee comments as the trio leave Zen Paws.

“He tried to ask me out.” Jumin says. “Although I do like him, he is a business rival. Also, there is someone else.”

“Mr. Han, I’m not sure you should consider your online friend a real ‘relationship’. You have never met in person after all. I do agree that you should not be seeing the owner of a rival business, but you are twenty-six and have never dated in your life. Maybe I should look into finding you a boyfriend.”

“Miss Kang, I think you should respect Jumin’s personal life. Him finding a partner is his own business.” V says.

“Yes. You may be my assistant, but romantic relationships are a personal matter. There is no need for you to worry.” 

“I understand.” she says, nodding.

Jumin feeds Elizabeth 3rd when he gets home. She was given to him by V and his fiancee, Rika. He gets on his computer and checks for messages from prettyboii. Of course, there aren’t any, because he’s memorized his work schedule and know he isn’t home yet. Jumin sends him a message anyway, and then orders a coffee.

This morning, Jumin watched the sign saying “C&R PETS - COMING SOON” go up in the windows of the empty store two doors down from another pet shop. It was small and homey, Zen Paws, definitely owned by some commoner. The owner, Zen had asked for his number - although he was very attractive, Jumin would never enter into that sort of relationship with a business rival, even if the business would very obviously go down after his father’s giant pet and supply retail chain opened up nearly next to it. Any rival is a rival.

The computer makes a message sound and Jumin runs almost childishly to it. It’s a very expensive one, but Jumin doesn’t know much about technology at all. He only uses it for emails and chatting with prettyboii on AnimalLoversForum.

The man whose screen name is ‘prettyboii’ is the polar opposite of Jumin, but they somehow connected like magic a few months ago. They found that although very, very different, they filled in each other’s gaps. Jumin doesn’t know much about him, they mostly talk about non-personal topics and when it does get personal, it’s quite vague. He knows that prettyboii is in his twenties, and has two large dogs. He’s more of a cat person himself, but dogs are cute too. Pets come in all shapes and sizes, and Jumin doesn’t discriminate. 

\---------------------------

Zen doesn’t forget the ethereal beauty of the man who came in on the day that C&R Pets announced that they were moving to to the neighborhood, even after four months. He had asked around his friends group for weeks after the incident, since Seven told him that the Six Degrees of Separation meant that there would likely be someone who knew him or one of his friends as well. However, he had no luck. He almost forgets about C&R Pets, until today, when a banner reading C&R PETS GRAND OPENING in gaudy colours is draped over the front entrance.

“Hey, Yoosung, Seven, which one of us should go check the store out?” Zen asks, early in the day.

“I can go on my lunch break.” Seven volunteers. 

“I kinda wanna see it too, though.” Yoosung says.

“Yeah, so do I. How about let’s all go on our lunch breaks?” Zen suggests. The boys agree.

Seven has the first break, at 11. He leaves the shop, whistling. Zen and Yoosung watch him until he disappears from the store window. 

Seven returns half an hour later, a cup of coffee from Jumping Beans, the cafe between Zen Paws and C&R Pets, in his hand. He has an odd smirk on his face, and stares at Zen.

“What are you looking at me for, and what’s with the dumb grin?” Zen asks, tilting his head. “Also, people food isn’t allowed in the store, go to the break room.”

Seven takes a sip of his coffee and goes into the break room.

Zen busies himself flirting with another customer. She has long, straight brown hair and straight bangs, she’s definitely above average looks-wise but he isn’t really interested in her. She doesn’t seem too into him, either, and instead brushes him off with a “no thank you, I’m fine on my own” and returns to looking at the bird seed.

“Hey, Zen, it’s your break!” Yoosung calls from the register. Zen takes out his phone and sees that yes, it is in fact 12:00. 

The air outside is fresh, it’s a great day, except for the huge pet retail store marring the view. Zen is sure that they won’t do anything to affect Zen Paws’ sales, even though the amount of customers today has already dropped. It’s just because it’s the grand opening, their customers will eventually die down. Zen doesn’t remember the opening of his own shop as he was only three at the time, but he’s sure it was just as grand as C&R Pets’. 

The store is huge, brightly light with ugly white fluorescent lights. Zen much prefers the soft diffused lighting of his own store, which gives it a more welcoming, friendly look. This store just screams “corporate”, which, well, it is. There are shelves upon shelves of supplies, and there’s much more variety than his own store. That doesn’t mean it’s better, though, because clearly his store, with its cozy environment and hot employees is much superior to this giant, stark corporate shop.

“Oh, it’s you.” A voice behind Zen says. Zen turns around to see the man from months ago, stunning as he remembered, standing right in front of him. The nametag on his chest reads JUMIN, with MANAGER in smaller text below it. Shit.

“You-- you run this store?” Zen asks, taken aback.

“Yes.” Jumin says simply.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I can’t believe I asked you out. No matter how attractive you are, I wouldn’t ever date someone who runs a corporate-owned store.” Zen raises his voice, attracting the attention of nearby customers.

“There was no need to tell you.” Jumin reasons. “If you want your business to stay open, we can buy your store, and you can manage it, but you’ll get paid by C&R company and it will have our branding.”

“No, absolutely not, never in a million years. I wouldn’t ever sell my mother’s shop to some huge corporation.” Zen crosses his arms.

“You don’t have a choice. Either you sell it to us, and get some money out of it, or just keep the store up until there won’t be enough customers to sustain you and your employees. My assistant calculated that you would be able to operate for another four months, maximum.” 

“Zen Paws is never going down. I’ll make sure of it.” Zen shoves his hands in his pockets and storms out of the store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm done Zen's route and was super happy with his character development aaaa precious  
> i'm on jumin's route now... day 5, I'll probably be don by the time the next chapter is up  
> I'm actually procrastinating homework right now lmao save me  
> kudos and comments are appreciated as always!

**Author's Note:**

> also, in case you were wondering, jumin's username is e390 because e3=elizabeth 3rd and 90 would be the year he was born since mystic messenger takes place in 2016.  
> also, i'm writing a haikyuu ushioi fic in superhero AU so if you like haikyuu be sure to check that out ^.^ (there's definitely a pattern with my obsession with love/hate relationships hahhahaha)  
> my mystic messenger tumblr is fvckboy-ryu, feel free to message me there  
> if you want to do anything with my fic on tumblr please tag it #rhjhfic


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